Host
by KayukiHitsugaya
Summary: Haruno Sakura awoke to find herself in Ginny Weasley's body. Hated by the Weasley's for trapping Ginny within her own mind and body, Sakura must gather her courage and strength, go to Hogwarts and pose as Ginny. But with Ginny's overwhelming emotions, will Sakura be able to do it? And when she meets Draco Malfoy, Sakura can't help but be attracted to him... despite everything. R&R.
1. I Am Not Ginny!

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Harry Potter.**

**Okay, so this is going to be a crossover between Naruto and Harry Potter.**

"Talking"

'_Thoughts'_

**Inner/Kyuubi**

_Talking to Inner/Kyuubi/Dreams/Spells/Emphasis_

* * *

Haruno Sakura felt herself being pulled in every direction possible. Every single little cell fiber within her body was screaming in agony. It was extremely and utterly painful – it felt like Sakura's entire body was being pulled apart, piece by piece, and cell by cell. Sakura had to bite her lip to keep from crying out in pain. Her veins were on fire, and it was all very nauseating. Sakura just wanted to rip her hair out, claw at her skin, do anything to stop the pain.

'_Someone help' _Sakura attempted to cry out, but she couldn't form any words.

Black dots began dotting Sakura's vision, clouding it. Sakura was being pulled under. Deep, deep, under and she couldn't stop. Sakura was suddenly yanked into a world of unconsciousness within a matter of seconds.

* * *

Birds were chirping happily, signaling the start of a brand new day, and rays of sunlight were shining through the window, lighting the room up. Sakura groaned tiredly and rolled over, burying her face into her pillow. She was comfortable and didn't want to move. _'Wait...'_

Sakura rolled back over and shot up, sitting up straight, her eyes looking around the room frantically. This wasn't one of the many rooms within the hospital. This wasn't even her bedroom. In fact, Sakura didn't even recognize where she was.

Strands of long, red hair fell over Sakura's shoulder. _'What the hell...'_

Sakura was even more confused than before. She didn't have red hair. She had shoulder-length, silky, pink hair. Sakura shot out of the bed and rushed over to the body-length mirror hanging on the wall.

Sakura came to a halt in front of the mirror, all thoughts flying from her mind as she stared at her reflection. Sakura's eyes were wide in shock as she attempted to process what the hell was going on here...

Sakura didn't look like herself... not by a long-shot. Instead, Sakura now had fiery, red hair which she wore in a long mane and soft, bright, brown eyes; however, there was an emerald-green ring around the pupil. Sakura had a petite stature and fair skin.

Sakura did the only thing she could think of at such a strange and out-of-place moment...

She screamed.

* * *

"_I am not Ginny_," Sakura growled yet again, crossing her arms and glaring stubbornly at all the adults within the room.

"Ginny, honey, are you sure you didn't hit your head?" Molly said in a voice full of worry and motherly-concern

Molly was a short, plump, kindly-looking woman and the moment Sakura had seen her, she had known exactly who this woman was, much to Sakura's shock. She had also felt suddenly filled with love and respect and kindness for this strange, woman. This was something that Sakura felt towards her own mother, and this was where she was freaked out. This woman, Molly, was most certainly not her mother and therefore Sakura didn't know why she felt this way.

Sakura clenched her fists and repeated, "I. Am. Not. Ginny."

"Molly, my dear... Albus and the others shall be arriving shortly." Arthur spoke, glancing worriedly towards Ginny.

Arthur had bright red hair, though he was balding, blue eyes, and a tall, thin build. Sakura, too, had known right away who this man was. Sakura felt the same feelings she felt for the woman, Molly, as she did for Arthur. Like he was her father... and he wasn't.

It was so incredibly strange for Sakura. She felt tied to these two strangers and she had never even met them before in her entire life. Sakura didn't like this. Not one bit. After all, Sakura knew who her parents were, and it wasn't these two.

Molly sighed sadly. Sakura, however, just rolled her eyes.

Quiet talking reached Sakura's ears from the other end of the room. Sakura shifted her attention towards its source. It was two men. The first man had probably once been darkly-handsome. He was tall, well-built, or at least he looked it, with fair skin and long, _somewhat_ lustrous black hair, and striking grey eyes. His face, however, had a gaunt and sunken look to it, but he was still handsome... in his own way.

The second man, on the other hand, looked stressed and shabby. He had pale skin with premature lines, and light brown hair that was flecked with lots of grey, and he sported a thin moustache.

Their names clicked within Sakura's head instantly. Remus Lupin and Sirius Black.

'_Unusual names,' _Sakura thought.

The two of them were talking quietly with one another. Out of the corner of his eye, Remus noticed Sakura staring at him and Sirius, observing them.

They both stopped talking and approached Molly and Arthur.

"When are Albus and the others arriving?" Remus asked, his tone polite and kind.

"Soon, Remus,"

The fireplace at the one end of the room – near where Remus and Sirius had been talking – lit up, suddenly, with emerald flames and people began walking out. Sakura jumped at seeing this, shocked. How could they not be harmed by the flames?

The first person to walk out of the emerald flame was an old, strange looking man. He was tall and thin, with silver hair and a beard so long that it could be tucked into his belt. He had a very long and crooked nose that looked as though it had been broken twice. He was wearing half-moon spectacles and strangely-coloured robes. Sakura knew his name right away. _Albus Dumbledore._

'_Yet another unusual name,' _Sakura mused.

"Albus," Sirius spoke to the old man.

"Sirius," Albus greeted in return.

Another man excited the emerald flames. Sakura bit her lip to keep from laughing. This man looked like an overgrown bat, as he was dressed entirely in flowing black robes. He was thin man with sallow skin and a large, hooked nose. He had shoulder-length, greasy black hair, which framed his face in curtains with curling lips and dark, penetrating eyes that reassembled tunnels. _Severus Snape._

When Sakura thought of this man, she was filled with sudden annoyance, anger and a great dislike, possibly boarder-lining hatred.

"Severus." Remus attempted to greet the "overgrown bat".

"Lupin." Severus said. His voice sounded forced and annoyed at having to acknowledge Remus.

"Snape," Sirius sneered, glaring at Snape. Sakura thought it had been quite unnecessary for Sirius to have put himself into that already-tense greeting between Snape and Remus.

Severus looked over at Sirius with a look that said acknowledging Sirius' existence was painful, as well as a waste of his time. "_Mutt_," Severus said the simple word with so much hatred.

Sakura knew – from their little exchange and something else, which Sakura could not place – that Severus and Sirius disliked one another strongly and deeply. In fact, perhaps, the word dislike was not a strong enough to describe the vibe which was emanating from both Sirius and Snape. _Loathed_. Yes, that would be a much, much better word.

Two more people excited the emerald flames. A man and a young woman.

The young woman was very pretty and exuded an aura of hipness. She had dark, twinkling eyes, a pale, heart-shaped face and short spiky hair. Sakura could only describe the colour of her hair as a "violently" violet color.

The man beside her looked as though he had a face carved of wood. His face was covered in scars and a chunk of his nose was missing. He had dark grey, grizzled hair. Sakura also noted that one of his legs was wooden. His eyes, however, were his most shocking feature – one was small and dark while the other was a magical eye. It was a vivid, electric-blue, which moved around independently from his normal eye.

Their names ran through Sakura's mind. Alastor 'Mad-Eye' Moody and Nymphadora 'Tonks' Tonks. Sakura was immediately fond of Tonks, though Sakura didn't even know why.

Sakura eyes locked on Mad-Eye's fake eye, watching as it moved around the room rapidly. She shivered and looked away. It was creepy.

"Would you mind explaining what has happened, Molly?" Albus asked kindly.

Molly nodded her head and began explaining...

* * *

_Sakura did the only thing she could think of at such a strange and out-of-place moment..._

_She screamed._

_Rather loudly._

"_Ginny!"_

"_Are you okay?!"_

_The sounds of footsteps rushing up a staircase – as well as down – could be heard. The door to the bedroom burst open and a flock of gingers and a girl with bushy-hair burst into the room._

"_Ginny!" One of them – the youngest of the group, Sakura guessed – shouted in a rather annoying voice. He had fiery red hair and a freckled complexion. He had blue eyes, a long nose, and was very tall and lanky. _

_Ron Weasley. That was his name. Sakura wondered how she knew that when she didn't even know who this teenage boy was._

_As Sakura looked them all over, she was able to put a name to all of them – Ron (as she'd said before), Hermione, Fred and George, and Bill. Someone was missing... Charlie!_

_Just standing there, looking at them all, Sakura felt an incredible bond with each of them... bonds which couldn't be broken easily. Sakura felt as though she'd known all of these people her whole entire life, which couldn't be possible, as Sakura had never met any of these people before._

_The girl – Hermione – moved towards Sakura, a worried expression on her face. Hermione was extremely pretty. She had bushy-curly brown hair and soft brown eyes. Her skin was pale and fair. "Ginny, are you alright? You screamed."_

"_I'm not Ginny." Sakura said right away. And she wasn't. Sakura didn't want to lie to these people, for some reason. Sakura wanted to tell them the truth... _

_Sakura shook her head, not liking what was happening. These feelings she was feelings towards these strangers was something that Sakura didn't like. She wanted to get rid of them, squash and destroy them completely._

'_**No!'**_

_Sakura jumped, wondering where that sudden shout had come from. However, no one appeared to have shouted anything._

"_What do you mean?"_

"_I'm not Ginny." Sakura repeated._

_The Twins – Fred and George – both laughed, thinking this to be a joke. Fred had flaming-red hair and an abundant of freckles. He had a shorter and stockier build, rather than a tall, thin build like Ron. George – being Fred's twin – looked exactly like him. _

_Sakura crossed her arms stubbornly. "I'm not Ginny!"_

_Bill's eyes widened. Bill was tall and thin, and he had flaming, red hair as well. Bill wore his hair long and in a pony-tail, and he had an earring with a fang dangling from it. Sakura had to admit that Bill was handsome. Right away, Sakura felt a sudden repulsion at thinking that Bill was handsome... something which Sakura didn't understand, yet again. _

_All of this 'not understanding' stuff was really beginning to piss Sakura off. She just wanted to know what the hell was going on and why she felt like this out of nowhere._

_Bill, without saying anything, crossed the room towards where Sakura was still standing in front of the body-length mirror. He took a hold of her and began yanking her alongside him towards the door. Sakura tried to pull away from him, no liking the feeling of being pulled and yanked against her will, but she wasn't strong enough to break out of Bill's grip. _

_As Sakura was being pulled down the hall, the other following along behind them, all Sakura wanted, more than anything, was to be able to go back to Konoha – back to Naruto, Kakashi, Sai, Tsunade and all of the others._

'_**You can't!'**_

_Sakura, once again, was startled by that mysterious voice which rang throughout her mind. It was as though they were Sakura's own thoughts, but they weren't. Sakura knew they weren't._

_Bill began pulling Sakura down a flight of stairs, the others still trailing behind. As they walked down the staircase, Sakura looked around. This house was creepy and looked as though it should belong to someone who was evil. Sakura could also sense darkness and evil emitting from certain rooms and she didn't like that._

_They reached a long hallway, lit by a large chandelier and gas lamps. The wallpaper was peeling away and the carpet had been worn thin. It was quite ugly._

_Bill pulled Sakura down the hall, while she continued to try and escape his grasp. They walked down a short and narrow staircase at the end of the entry hallway and entered what looked to be a kitchen. _

"_Mum," Bill said, announcing his presence._

_A woman cooking at the stove – Sakura knew her name was Molly the moment she saw her – turned around to look at them. "I see you're all up. Nice and early too. I am a little shocked." She said, smiling sweetly at them all. "Anyhow, good morning darlings." She held up a spatula. "I have just started breakfast, darlings, so you'll have to wait a bit."_

_Bill's eyes flickered over to Sakura. "Mum, something's wrong with Ginny."_

* * *

Molly finished with her story. She was once again looking at Sakura, her eyes still full of worry and concern.

"Ugh!" Sakura exclaimed loudly. She was tired of having to repeat herself. "I told you numerous times! I am not Ginny! My name is Haruno Sakura!"

Molly was taken aback by Sakura's reaction – or in Molly's case, Ginny's reaction. So were Arthur and Sirius.

"Haruno Sakura." Albus said, his blue eyes twinkling.

Sakura nodded her head. Finally! "Yes. That is my name. Not Ginny... like you all seem to think."

"If you do not mind me asking, Haruno Sakura, where exactly are you from?" Albus asked; his tone was peaceful and calm.

"Konohagakure no Sato, but Konoha for short. Konoha is located within the Land of Fire." Sakura answered, hoping that at least someone within this kitchen would know where she was from and how she could get back.

"Konohagakure no Sato,"

"Yes. It literally means "Village Hidden by Tree Leaves", also known as "Village Hidden in the Leaves" or "Hidden Leaf Village"." Sakura told Albus. "Our village is well-respected. We have the best ninja and kunoichi. I, myself, am a kunoichi."

"Rubbish." Mad-Eye snapped, glaring at her with his normal eye. "Ninja aren't real, kid. Grow up."

"I. Am. Not. A. Kid." Sakura hissed glaring at Mad-Eye. "I am fifteen years old!"

"Ginny -"

"My name is not Ginny!"

Albus held up his hand and the room was quiet right away. He spoke, addressing Sakura, "Sakura-san, to put it mildly, I believe you are from another dimension or, perhaps, time. I assume that something has happened to you, which has caused you to be transported into Miss Weasley's body. Would you mind explaining?"

Sakura was surprised. This old man knew about suffixes and whatnot. "I was practising on a new Jutsu. But something went wrong, and then I felt a horrible pain. It was excruciating – like I was being ripped apart, cell by cell. Next thing I knew, I woke up in this body." Sakura explained.

"You expect us to believe that." Severus sneered at her.

Sakura's hatred for Severus roared up inside her. Sakura bit her lip and clenched her fists and attempted to keep herself from shouting out all kinds of curses at this horrible man.

"Albus, how can you be sure this isn't Ginny? Maybe she hit her head and injured herself." Molly persisted.

"Mrs. Weasley, look at closely Miss Weasley's eyes – there is an emerald green ring around the pupil of her eyes. I assume that is the true color of Sakura-san's eye, and is the only sign that your daughter isn't present inside her own body and that Sakura-san is instead."

Molly's eyes were wide and she took a step towards Sakura, leaning forward to examine Sakura's – Ginny's – eyes. She backed away and gasped, tears welding up in her eyes. "Oh my... Ginny... Where is my daughter, Albus? _Where is __**my **__daughter_?!"

'_**Mum! I'm right here! I'm trapped inside my own body, my own mind!'**_

Sakura jumped, startled. So that mysterious voice she had been hearing... it belonged to Ginny. She was still here, still very much present, just locked inside her own body and mind, not being able to talk or control her own actions.

"Is something wrong, Sakura-san?" Albus questioned, having taken notice of Sakura's strange and startled jump.

"She – Ginny... she's still here." Sakura told him, avoiding Molly's and Arthur's gazes. "She's trapped – inside her own body and mind."

'_**Give me **__**my**__** body back! I don't wanna be stuck and trapped, with my body being used as your **__**Host**__**!' **_Ginny shouted at Sakura.

'**I can't!' **Sakura shouted back.

'_**Try!'**_

Sakura gritted her teeth and closed her eyes, trying to push herself back and out of her – no, Ginny's – body. Sakura let out an annoyed growled. _**'See! I can't do it!'**_

Ginny simply ignored Sakura.

Everyone was staring at Sakura, watching her.

"Sakura-san, I assume you just conversed with Miss Weasley."

Sakura nodded her head. "I tried to push myself out. I can't do it. It is impossible." Sakura let out a frustrated sigh. "I just want to go home."

"Albus, what do we do?" Arthur asked.

"For now all I can do is research this unusual event. I have never seen anything like this." Albus said. "I shall also have Severus try creating potions to help send Sakura-san home. Though it shall be incredibly difficult as we do not know what we are dealing with."

"Will Ginny be alright?" Molly demanded to know. "Will she be lost forever?"

'_**Of course not! I would never let that happen!'**_

Albus shook his head. "No. I believe that once Sakura-san has returned home, Ginny will regain control of her own body and mind."

"What do we do until then?" Molly asked yet another question. "And what about Hogwarts? It'll be Ginny's fourth year?"

"I guess Sakura could pose as Ginny at Hogwarts." Tonks suggested. "At Headquarters though, Sakura can be herself. After all, we all know that she isn't Ginny."

Molly bit her lip.

'_**No! My fourth year at Hogwarts!' **_Ginny cried.

'_**Hogwarts? What is Hogwarts?' **_Sakura asked, but Ginny wouldn't answer.

Sakura wondered why she didn't know what it was if it was associated with Ginny. Sakura had known who all of Ginny's family and friends were already so far. Sakura reached out, attempting to probe through Ginny's thoughts and memories, however, she was met with a _huge_, brick wall.

'_**Stay out of my memories and thoughts. They are mine!' **_Ginny hissed at Sakura, strengthening her mental shield. Sakura tried to break it down, but she couldn't.

'_I see' _Sakura thought. _'Ginny has been present from the moment I woke up. But she's only been allowing me to know the names of her family and friends, and that she cares about them and loves them... but from the beginning, she's been blocking off her thoughts and memories to me.'_

"What is Hogwarts?" Sakura resorted to asking the adults within the room.

They all exchanged looks with one another.

"Hogwarts, Sakura-san, is a school for wizards and witches."

* * *

**Okay, so Sakura is stuck inside Ginny. She has complete control of Ginny's body and mind, but Ginny can speak to Sakura, and vice versa. It is kind of like the book, **_**The Host**_**, by Stephanie Meyer, which is partially what this fan fiction is base off of.**

**Now, the pairings will be –**

**Sakura and Draco. (The main pairing, of course!)**

**Ginny and Harry**

**Sakura and Harry (through Ginny)**

**Ginny and Draco (through Sakura)**

**Hermione and Ron**

**Anyways please review! And sorry for grammar mistakes!**


	2. Weasley Anger

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Harry Potter.**

**Here is the second chapter or **_**Host**_**. I hope you enjoy it!**

"Talking"

'_**Ginny/Sakura talking'**_

'_Thoughts'_

**Inner**

_Talking to Inner/Dreams/Spells/Emphasis_

* * *

Sakura burst out laughing. They didn't seriously expect her to believe them. "You expect me to believe wizards and witches are real."

_'**It is true!'**_

Sakura simply ignored Ginny and said, "Bullshit."

"Ginny! Watch -"

"As I have said before, _I am not Ginny_." Sakura had to repeat. _Again_. Honestly, she was tired of having to constantly repeat herself and remind them that she was not Ginny. Yes, she was inside Ginny's body, but that didn't mean anything.

Molly gaped at Sakura, but chose not to say anything.

"Wizards exist, you silly little brat." Mad-Eye growled at Sakura.

"Well then, if wizards and witches exist, so do ninjas and kunoichi." Sakura retorted, crossing her arms and narrowing her eyes at Mad-Eye, daring him to challenge her. She wouldn't back down without a fight.

Tonks grinned and laughed. "She's got you there, Mad-Eye." She said.

Sakura had to admit that she was starting to like Tonks a little – and Ginny's feelings had nothing to do with it.

"So," Sakura went on. "I am going to have to go to this... Hogwarts school for wizards and witches and pose as Ginny."

"It would seem so." Albus confirmed.

"How long will I have to do this for?"

"Until a proper way to send you home is discovered," Albus said sadly, "which could take days, moths or even years."

Molly stifled a sob behind her hand and Arthur wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulder.

Sakura shifted uncomfortably in her seat and looked around the room. "Are you all wizards?"

"Of course we are. We wouldn't want to be boring, old Muggles." Sirius snorted.

_Muggles_. Sakura ran the word through her own list of vocabulary words and came up with nothing. Before Ginny could realize what was happening, Sakura penetrated through Ginny's defence – which she had let down – and came up with a definition. Muggles... the word simply meant ordinary people, those who didn't have magical powers like wizards and witches.

Sakura, though this was just her opinion, found the word _Muggle _to be degrading to those who weren't wizards.

"Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, I am truly sorry, but I believe that is all I have to say for now." Albus turned to look at Molly and Arthur. "I shall do my best to come up with a solution to this problem."

"Thank you so much, Albus." Molly said tearfully. Sakura winced, not liking this – though most of these feelings came from Ginny.

Albus turned and walked towards the fireplace. He picked up a handful of some sort of power – _Floo powder_, Ginny's memories and vocabulary supplied for Sakura – and threw it into the fireplace, saying, "Hogwarts, Headmaster's Office."

Emerald flames started up, much like last time. Albus walked through the flames, completely unharmed, and disappeared. The others followed Albus through the flames. Once they were all gone, the flames disappeared.

Sakura returned her attention back to the remaining people within the kitchen – Molly, Arthur, Sirius, Remus, and Tonks.

"Well then," Molly spoke, trying to sound normal and composed. "I guess that I best get breakfast finished."

* * *

Sakura felt odd and out of place. She was sitting at a table full of strangers, yet she knew each and every one of them. What their names were. How old they were. What they liked. What they hated. And it was all thanks to Ginny.

When breakfast had been completed, Molly and Arthur had called everyone down to eat. They – along with Sirius, Remus, and Tonks – had tried to explain the situation to all of them.

Once everything had been explained, none of them had looked all too happy. Ginny's brothers all glared at Sakura – not Ginny – blaming her.

Ginny had been smug about this. _**'See, they think it's your fault too.'**_

The only person who didn't look angry was Hermione – something which Ginny hadn't liked.

Sakura shifted in her seat, taking a bite of scrambled eggs. Ron had continuously glared at Sakura for the better part of breakfast, and it was beginning to annoy Sakura. Even Ginny had begun to get annoyed.

"Mum, when is Harry getting here?" Ron asked. He was finally getting bored with glaring at Sakura.

_Harry_. Sakura's heart suddenly began beating erratically. _Harry_. The name made Sakura's stomach twist. Sakura also had the sudden desire to leap out of her seat, demanding to know when Harry would be coming as well.

Sakura squeezed her eyes shut. This wasn't her. '_This is Ginny. This is Ginny. This is Ginny.' _Sakura had to repeat to herself. Sakura's heart had only beat like this for Sasuke and Naruto. No one else.

"Soon, I believe." Molly answered. "Some members of the Order will be picking him up."

Ron nodded his head and returned to shoveling his breakfast into his mouth. Both Sakura and Ginny were disgusted by this.

"Sakura-san, where are you from?" Hermione asked. Sakura knew she was only trying to be friendly and she appreciated it. Inside her head, Ginny started making angry remarks and comments.

"Konohagakure, or Konoha for short; it is located in the Land of Fire. Our village is one of the best and produces some of the best shinobi. We also have civilians as well." Sakura answered. "I, myself, am a kunoichi and the apprentice of the Godaime Hokage."

"Godaime Hokage." Hermione repeated the last part of Sakura's sentence, butchering the words completely, causing Sakura to wince slightly.

"_Godaime Hokage_ – it literally means Fifth Fire Shadow. The Hokage is the leader of Konoha." Sakura explained, emphasising the pronunciation.

Hermione was about to ask another question, but Ron cut her off, shouting, "Hermione!"

Hermione blushed and went back to eating her breakfast.

After Ron's little annoyed outburst, no one spoke and everything was quiet once more.

Remus was the one who decided to break this silence. "So, Sakura-san-"

"Sakura," Sakura interjected, but not rudely. "Call me Sakura."

"So, Sakura," Remus continued. "Tell me about shinobi. How does your shinobi system work?"

Sakura straightened up even more and looked at Remus. She began explaining, "shinobi have ranks – Academy student, Genin, Chūnin, Special Jōnin, Jōnin, ANBU, Sannin, and Kage. We are entered in the Academy at the age of five. We are taught English, and multiple other languages, history, math and such. But those are mostly for civilians. Those striving to become shinobi are taught Taijutsu, which is hand-to-hand combat; Ninjutsu, which encompasses techniques that use Chakra; and Genjutsu, which is like illusions."

"Most students graduate from the Academy at the age of twelve. But it is possible to graduate younger. One you graduate, you become a Genin and you are sorted into squads of three Genin and you are given a Jōnin Sensei. Once we have our teams, our Jōnin Sensei will test us to assess whether we will be able to handle the demands that will be made of us as ninja. Such as the dynamics of teamwork,"

Sakura noticed that everyone in the kitchen – even Ron – were all interested in what she was saying. Their eyes were focused on her and they were all listening intently. Breakfast lay on the plates, forgotten and untouched, beginning to go cold.

"You can become a Chūnin by taking the Chūnin Selection Exams, but all Genin's must take it with their three-man squads. The Chūnin Exams takes place twice a year. If you become a Chūnin, you can take the exam to become a Special Jōnin or you could take a different exam to just become a Jōnin. The Jōnin Exams are also held twice a year as well. After becoming a Jōnin, you can then advance to ANBU. The ANBU exams are deadly and extremely hard. They are also only held once a year. You can also be hand-picked by the Hokage to become an ANBU, though that is rather rare. After becoming ANBU, you can't just advance to Sannin, as it is a given title by the current-Sannin. Same with Hokage,"

"Now, moving on to mission ranking. _D-rank _missions are given to Genin freshly out of the Academy, as they pose almost no risk to the Genin. _C-rank _missions are assigned to experienced Genin or Chūnin. They are missions anticipated to have some combat involved with the possibility of injury, but nothing too serious. _B-rank _missions are assigned to Chūnin. They are missions that involve combat, such as maybe guarding someone, espionage or killing other ninja. _A-rank _missions are given to Jōnin-level ninja. These type of missions are usually concerning, among other things, village or state-level matters and trends. Like guarding VIPs or suppressing ninja forces. And finally there is _S-rank _missions, which are the most difficult. They are given to really, really, experienced Jōnin or ANBU, maybe Sannin, or possibly even the Hokage herself/himself. They deal with state-level confidential matters, such as assassinating VIPs and transporting highly classified documents."

"Being a shinobi is a very dangerous life. People are always after you. You always have to watch your back, sleep with one eye open at nighttime and you do not know who you can trust and who you can't. You cannot – and must never – let your guard down, or it could cost you your lift."

Remus was completely submersed in interest and curiosity. "What rank are you?"

"I am a Chūnin-level kunoichi and a medical-nin." Sakura answered. "As I mentioned before, I am the apprentice of the Godaime Hokage, Tsunade."

"What is a medical-nin?" Hermione asked.

"Medical-nin are ninja who specialize in medical treatment and the use of medical-oriented techniques to heal others. Becoming a medical-nin requires high intelligence and excellent Chakra control. A medical-nin is trained to avoid getting injured in any way, for if they are injured then there would be nobody to heal the other members of the team." Sakura explained. "But I believe every good medic-nin should be able to defend themselves and be able to fight, too, though never intentionally through themselves into battle unless direly needed. Anyways, my Shishou, Tsunade, is considered, and is, the best medic-nin through the land and Konoha, and I am considered the second-best."

Hermione was nodding her head, taking in the information.

Molly was gasping, having taken in everything that Sakura had said in the past half-an-hour. "That is terrible." She was shaking her head. "Having mere children becoming shinobi and throw their lives away at such young ages. Children should not be allowed to do such dangerous things."

"It is not terrible – it is considered an honor. Being able to defend your village, your loved ones, family and friends." Sakura said, feeling the instantaneous need to defend Konoha, _her home_. "I am, personally, proud to be a kunoichi – to be able to fight and protect my village and those I want to protect. It is my dream. To be strong, to protect everyone I care and love."

Sakura could see Ron going red in the face and she knew that he was going to snap.

Sure enough, he did.

Ron jumped to his feet, slamming his hands down on the table. "Why are you all being so friendly with her?!" He shouted angrily, glaring at everyone, but mostly Sakura. "She's trapped Ginny! Because of her, Ginny might never come back!"

'_**No! I won't ever let that happen! I already told you! Never!' **_Ginny told Sakura fiercely, startling her slightly. Ginny had been quiet when Sakura had been speaking. She had been listening, along with everyone else, to what Sakura had been saying. And now Ron – with his comment – had sparked and ignited Ginny's fighting spirit.

Ron stormed out of the kitchen, muttering angrily under his breath.

The table went silent.

Bill cleared his throat and stood up. "Thanks for breakfast, Mum." He told Molly. Bill then excited the kitchen. The other Weasley children – George and Fred – soon followed, thanking Molly for breakfast.

The only people who hadn't left the kitchen were Hermione, Remus, Sirius, Tonks, Molly and Arthur.

Sakura looked down at her hands. She felt rejected. _'This isn't me. This is Ginny. This is Ginny.' _Sakura had to tell herself, repeating it over and over again. But Sakura knew the truth – it was both Ginny and her.

"It's okay." Hermione spoke in a reassuring tone causing Sakura to wonder whether Hermione was attempting to reassure her or just Ginny. "Ginny is their only little sister, so they're all very protective of her. You don't have to feel bad, Sakura."

Sakura said nothing.

Molly flicked her wand and the table began clearing itself. The dishes started floating through the air and into the soapy-watery filled sink. The dishes then started to clean themselves.

Sakura watched this, her eyes widened in shock. "Wow."

Remus chuckled. "It's magic, Sakura."

"It's still..." But Sakura trailed off, not knowing what to say.

'_It's true. Wizards and witches truly exist. Magic is real.' _Sakura thought, still in shock.

'_**I told you it was true.' **_Ginny replied smugly.

Sakura chose not to reply. She didn't need a fight with Ginny. Instead, she rose to her feet and excused herself from the table, thanking Molly for the fantastic breakfast.

Sakura walked out of the kitchen and – following Ginny's reluctant instructions – headed to the bedroom.

* * *

The rest of the day had been agonizingly slow for Sakura. For the whole day, Sakura had remained in her – no, Ginny's – room. Sakura simply paced back and forth, pondering and thinking everything over.

Sakura occasionally took a nap or sifted through Ginny's book collection. When Sakura was reading a book of Ginny's, Ginny would always spoil the end of the book for Sakura, merely to annoy her. By doing this, Ginny succeeded in annoying Sakura.

Despite Ginny's mental defences, Sakura had learned a few things. Her full name was Ginerva Molly Weasley – a name which Sakura found to be funny and unusual. Ginny was also fourteen, a fact which annoyed Sakura, as she was actually fifteen. Ginny was also in Gryffindor, which was some sort of house at the Hogwarts school for the brave and chivalrous. (Sakura had to admit that this suited Ginny.)

Sakura had also found out about _You-Know-Who_. This was information that Ginny would willingly give up to Sakura. _You-Know-Who _was a Dark Lord, who had been terrorizing the Wizarding World for years. He had been defeated in 1981 by the _Boy-Who-Lived_. But Voldemort had returned last year, at the end of Ginny's third year. However, no one believed that he had returned.

Sakura had then learned about who the _Boy-Who-Lived _was. _Harry Potter_. That was his name. Sakura had learned that Harry was an extremely brave, loyal, and selfless person. Sakura admired those qualities. Harry was impulsive, but he was also quite intelligent, in his own way. Harry was also best friend's with Ginny's older brother, Ron, as well as Hermione.

And finally, Ginny briefly skimmed over the details of Hogwarts and the Wizarding World, telling Sakura what Ginny thought she would need to know. Ginny only allowed Sakura to know these things because she deemed them necessary for Sakura to know. However, that seemed to be all that Ginny would allow Sakura to know with her mental defences thrown up all of the time. Ginny refused to allow her memories to blend with Sakura's. Ginny was determined to keep herself as separate from Sakura as she could.

And that was part of the reason why Sakura was completely bored out of her mind.

'_**You mean my mind.' **_Ginny reminded Sakura.

Sakura rolled her eyes. She knew Ginny would never let her forget that.

There was a knock on the door. Sakura – not wanting to talk to anyone – moved, as quietly as Ginny's body would allow her, over to the light switch and switched it off. She then silently headed over to the bed and got in.

There was another knock on the door.

Sakura closed her eyes and pretended to be asleep. Sakura was extremely good at fake-sleeping. Shinobi were trained to be able to fake-sleep, or even play dead.

The door opened. Behind her eyelids, Sakura could see the light from the hallway streaming into the room.

"Sakura,"

It was Hermione.

She waited a few minutes for a reply, and when she didn't get one, she sighed and closed the door. Sakura didn't even shift until she head Hermione's footsteps all the way at the bottom of the staircase.

Sakura rolled onto her back and opened her eyes. If Sakura had been in her own body, her eyes would've already adjusted to the darkness, but she wasn't. This was Ginny's body, and her body wasn't as sharp, as quick, or as strong as Sakura's own body. This was something that Sakura absolutely loathed.

Sakura just wanted to go to sleep. Hopefully, this would all just be a bad dream. But deep down, Sakura knew none of this was a dream. It was all real.

Tiredness and exhaustion were now weighing down heavily on Sakura. Her eyes drooped and she was pulled into a world of dreams.

* * *

**That is the end of this chapter. I hope you enjoyed it.**

**As for Ginny, she won't always be this snappy and bitter. I just imagine that if Ginny had her body and mind taken over, she would definitely put up a fight and be snappy about the whole thing. Sakura and Ginny will become friends. It will happen over the chapters. But for now, Ginny will be snappy with Sakura.**

**Same goes for the Weasleys; they will all grow to care about Sakura. Like Ginny, it will happen along the chapters.**

**Sorry for grammar mistakes and such! Now, please review!**


	3. Dementors

**Disclaimer: As you already know, I do not own Naruto or Harry Potter.**

**Here is the third chapter! Yeah!**

"Talking"

'_**Ginny/Sakura talking'**_

'_Thoughts'_

**Inner**

_Talking to Inner/Dreams/Spells/Emphasis_

**O~O~O**

The week had passed by at a painfully slow rate for Sakura. For the duration of the entire week, Sakura stayed had remained within her bedroom, avoiding everyone, and only leaving for mealtimes and the bathroom.

Sakura had fallen into a daily routine – wake up early, get ready, eat breakfast, retreat to her bedroom, have lunch, retreat to her bedroom again, and eat dinner. Even while eating dinner with the Weasley's, Sirius, and occasionally Remus and Tonks, Sakura would sit at the far end of the table, away from everyone and the conversations that took place.

Ginny didn't like this any of this.

'_**I want to see my family and talk to them.' **_Ginny had complained to Sakura.

'_**Well, they don't want to see you, or talk to you.' **_Sakura had retorted, knowing quite well that wasn't the case. It was Sakura they didn't want to see – inside Ginny's body, trapping her.

But despite regretting the comment, it had silenced Ginny for a while, much to the relief of Sakura.

Sakura had found out that Hermione – who w_as _supposed to be sharing the room with Ginny, as they were the only two girls – had moved to a vacant room down the hall form Sakura. This was another thing that Ginny hadn't like, but, then again, it seemed Ginny didn't like anything that Sakura did.

Sakura didn't like being stuck in Ginny's body anymore than Ginny did. She didn't like being forced to be with the Weasley's and Hermione, as well as the others – they were Ginny's family and friends. Being here made Sakura feel like an intruder on their life. And, in reality, that was exactly what she was.

**O~O~O**

The sky was darkening, turning into nighttime, when Sakura had decided to surface from her bedroom. She could hear shouting coming from downstairs and was curious to know what was going on. (Ginny was too).

Sakura walked as quietly as she could down the staircase. She walked down the hallway and stopped by the narrow staircase which led to the kitchen. Hermione, Ron, Fred and George were all huddled in a group, standing outside the kitchen, trying to listen in and figure out what was going on as well.

None of them had noticed Sakura, which she found to be quite pathetic actually. After all, this body was Ginny's, therefore, it wasn't trained like Sakura's was to sneak around and be stealthy.

Sakura tapped Hermione's shoulder lightly to draw her attention. It worked. Hermione turned around and when her eyes landed on Sakura, they widened. She was shocked to see Sakura outside her bedroom, her place of comfort.

'_**Ask what's going on.' **_Ginny demanded.

"What's going on?" Sakura asked curiously, making sure she kept her voice nice and low.

"It's Harry." Hermione whispered. She looked back at the kitchen door, with a worried expression, to see if anyone within the kitchen had somehow heard her. But they were all too loud. They wouldn't hear a thing.

'_**Harry! What is happening with Harry?'**_

Sakura nodded her head, signalling for Hermione to continue, and so, she did, "I don't know exactly what's going on. But from what I've managed to hear so far, it involved Harry and underage magic."

When Hermione was telling Sakura what little she knew, Sakura wondered if Hermione had forgotten it was not Ginny she was talking to, but someone else. However, Sakura quickly dismissed that thought. Though she had only known Hermione for a week, Sakura knew that Hermione was extremely smart for her age.

'_**Underage magic – Harry would never!' **_Ginny denied what Hermione had just told Sakura.

The term, _underage magic_, practically told Sakura what it was, but she stilled wanted a detailed explanation. _**'Underage magic, explain...'**_

'_**Underage magic**__** is any magic used by a wizard or witch who is under seventeen years of age outside of school. While children are permitted to use magic as part of their education, it has been banned from use outside of such under the Decree for the **_**Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery **_**since 1875. Compliance with the Decree is monitored and enforced by the **_**Improper Use of Magic Office**_** at the **_**Ministry of Magic**_** using a **_**Trace Charm**_**.' **_Ginny explained to Sakura.

'_**That is stupid. What if a wizard or witch needs to defend themselves? What then?' **_Sakura said, seeing a clear flaw in this rule, though she did understand where _Ministry of Magic _was coming from. They obviously didn't want wizards and witches – who were young and immature – using their magic for bad, to show off, or cause any problems.

'_**Nothing... the **_**Ministry of Magic **_**is corrupt. They don't care if someone has to defend themselves.'**_

'_**Fools,'**_

'_**Yes, fools.'**_

Sakura and Ginny had done the impossible – they had agreed on something.

"I think I hear mum coming." George warned the others quietly.

Sakura was the first to turn around and bolt down the hallway, closely followed by the others. Sakura took the stairs two at a time. When she reached the landing, Sakura sprinted down the hall and towards her bedroom. Sakura was about to close her bedroom door when Hermione ran into the room, followed by Ron and the Twins. Once they were inside the room, Sakura closed the door and leaned against it, panting tiredly.

Ginny's body definitely needed a workout... Sakura knew exactly what she would be doing.

"What do you think happened with Harry?" Ron asked.

"I heard Mad-Eye mention underage magic." Fred announced.

Sakura snuck over to the bed and sat down, a list of possibilities running through her mind. From what Ginny had told her about Voldemort and Harry, it seemed like a possibility that Voldemort would come after Harry, trying to kill him.

"Maybe Voldemort attacked him." Sakura suggested lightly, not glancing at anyone in particular.

"Don't say his name. It's taboo." Ron told Sakura angrily. Sakura couldn't help but roll her eyes. It was ridiculous – in Sakura's opinion – that wizards and witches were to afraid to say _Voldemort_. To Sakura, that would be like the people of Konoha being too afraid to say Orochimaru, or the name of the Akatsuki. The whole concept just didn't make sense to Sakura.

Hermione shushed Ron and then looked at Sakura, shaking her head. "No. I don't think so. You-Know-Who doesn't know where Harry lives. And I don't think You-Know-Who would just attack Harry. He – I think – would be trying to lay low, as he was just revived."

Sakura had to agree with Hermione. It was a logical explanation.

"But Harry wouldn't just use magic." George pointed out. "Not unless it was a good reason."

Hermione sighed. "I know. Harry knows the repercussions of using underage magic. He wouldn't do it, like you said George, unless he had a good reason."

"Maybe he was being attacked." Ron shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe some Deatheaters figured where the Dursley's lived. Or maybe the Dursley's sold Harry out,"

"Ronald, don't be foolish. The Dursley's wouldn't do that." Hermione scolded Ron.

"They don't -"

"Ronald." Hermione cut Ron off, giving him a serious look. "We will just have to wait until the Order tells us what is happening or until Harry gets here."

**O~O~O**

Sure enough, an hour later, Molly, Arthur and Sirius came upstairs to explain the situation. The adults were surprised to find Ron, Hermione and the Twins in Sakura's room, but nonetheless, they explained the entire situation to them.

Harry and his cousin Dudley – Sakura thought that was a horrible name – had been attacked by _Dementors_, and Harry, in order to save him and Dudley, had performed the _Patronus Charm_. Ginny had explained what the _Dementors _and the _Patronus Charm _were to Sakura.

"What's going to happen to Harry, mum?" Ron asked, worry clear in his tone. Harry was his best mate after all.

"The Order is going to get Harry right away." Molly reassured Ron. "He should be arriving later tonight, just in time for dinner. Now, all of you, head to your bedrooms and clean up."

Rather reluctantly, everyone did as Molly said. They all left Sakura's bedroom, leaving her to herself – well, technically not seeing as how Ginny was ever-so present.

Once everyone had excited the bedroom, Sakura settled herself down on the bed and lied down on the bed, locking her hands behind her head. She asked, _**'Do you think Voldemort sent the Dementors after him?' **_

'_**I don't know. How would Y- V-Voldemort have control of the Dementors?' **_Ginny had now started trying to call You-Know-Who by Voldemort so Sakura couldn't bother her or tease her.

'_**Well, from what you've told me and from what I've learned, this Voldemort is a powerful, Dark Lord, right? So, maybe getting a few Dementors on his side is no problem for him. And because they are Dementors, no one is going to think that Voldemort attacked Harry – if he did – and the blame will be all on the **_**Ministry of Magic**_**, as they control the Dementors. It is perfect.'**_

'_**Ahh, you're right. But the **_**Ministry of Magic **_**are obviously going to portray this as some kind of accident. They will also most likely find a way to bash Harry – they've been doing it all summer.' **_

Sakura said nothing in return to this. She simply closed her eyes, wanting to take a nap before Harry Potter – the famous _Boy-Who-Lived_ – arrived and Sakura had to meet him.

**O~O~O**

**That is the end of this chapter. As you can see, Sakura and Ginny are kind of on civil terms, but they are still fighting with one another. HAHAHA!**

**I like this story so far.**

**Sorry for grammar mistakes, as usual. AND PLEASE REVIEW! Or else Voldemort will come and kill you all!**


	4. Meeting Harry

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Naruto. **

**So, here is chapter four! Enjoy!**

"Talking"

'_**Ginny/Sakura talking'**_

'_Thoughts'_

**Inner**

_Talking to Inner/Dreams/Spells/Emphasis_

**O~O~O**

Sakura's eyes snapped open and she sat up. She could loud talking coming from down the hall.

'_**I recognise that voice!' **_Ginny told Sakura. _**'It's Harry's! He's here! Go!'**_

Sakura got out of bed and quickly brushed her – Sakura had finally started accepting the fact that this was her body _too _now – fiery red hair. She excited her room once she was done and headed down the hall, following the sound of the voices.

Sakura stopped in front of Hermione's door, which was wide open. The one with his back to the door was Harry, Sakura assumed, as she didn't recognize him. Ron and Hermione were facing him, but neither of them had taken any notice of Sakura – they were all immersed into their conversation.

'_**That is Harry.' **_Ginny confirmed.

"We're not!" Ron interrupted whatever Harry had been saying. "Mum won't let us near the meetings, she says we're too young-"

Just as Sakura was about to enter the room and say something, Harry was suddenly shouting.

"SO YOU HAVEN'T BEEN IN THE MEETINGS, BIG DEAL! YOU'VE STILL BEEN HERE, HAVEN'T YOU? YOU'VE STILL BEEN TOGETHER! ME, I'VE BEEN STUCK AT THE DURSLEYS' FOR A MONTH! AND I'VE HANDLED MORE THAN YOU TWO'VE EVER MANAGED AND DUMBLEDORE KNOWS IT ‐WHO SAVED THE PHILOSOPHER'S STONE? WHO GOT RID OF RIDDLE? WHO SAVED BOTH YOUR SKINS FROM THE DEMENTORS?"

Sakura jolted back; Harry's yelling had taken her by surprise. Ginny, too, was surprised. She had never seen Harry lose his temper before.

"WHO HAD TO GET PAST DRAGONS AND SPHINXES AND EVERY OTHER FOUL THING LAST YEAR? WHO SAW HIM COME BACK? WHO HAD TO ESCAPE FROM HIM? ME!"

Ron was standing there with his mouth half-open, clearly stunned and at a loss for anything to say, whilst Hermione looked on the verge of tears.

Sakura carefully began edging herself into the room, gritting her teeth. How could anyone treat their friends like this?

"BUT WHY SHOULD I KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON? WHY SHOULD ANYONE BOTHER TO TELL ME WHAT'S BEEN HAPPENING?"

"Harry, we wanted to tell you, we really did ‐" Hermione began.

"CANT'VE WANTED TO THAT MUCH, CAN YOU, OR YOU'D HAVE SENT ME AN OWL, BUT DUMBLEDORE MADE YOU SWEAR ‐"

"Well, he did-"

"FOUR WEEKS I'VE BEEN STUCK IN PRIVET DRIVE, NICKING PAPERS OUT OF BINS TO TRY AND FIND OUT WHAT'S BEEN GOING ON ‐"

"We wanted to ‐"

"I SUPPOSE YOU'VE BEEN HAVING A REAL LAUGH, HAVEN'T YOU, ALL HOLED UP HERE TOGETHER –"

Sakura was totally annoyed now. She'd heard enough of Harry's yelling and snapped, "Would you shut up!"

Harry turned around and faced Sakura. The moment Sakura saw Harry, her heart began pounding furiously, as if it was going to explode out of her chest at any moment. Her stomach was spinning wildly. _Harry_. _Harry_. _Harry._

Sakura understood now; Ginny liked Harry.

Harry was good-looking, Sakura had to admit. He had messy and unruly, jet-black hair, and the most brilliant, and startling, green eyes. His skin looked slightly tanned – from the summer sun – and just underneath his bangs, Sakura could make out a lightning bolt-shaped scare on his forehead. This was the_ Boy-Who-Lived_.

"Ginny-" Harry began.

"No." Sakura cut him off. She wouldn't have any of that. "I am not Ginny. Learn that now."

Harry looked confused, which momentarily ceased his anger. However, Sakura knew it wasn't forgotten. She just hoped he didn't start yelling again or else she'd lose her head.

"What is going on?" Harry half-snapped, looking over at Ron and Hermione.

"That's not Ginny, Harry." Hermione said. "Look at her eyes."

Harry looked back at Ginny and leaned forward, studying her eyes. "You have an emerald-green ring around the pupil." Harry concluded.

Hermione nodded her head. "A week ago, Sakura woke up and she was inside Ginny's body. Sakura was working on a new..."

"Jutsu." Sakura supplied for Hermione.

"... Yes, Sakura was working on a new Jutsu, when something went wrong and she was transported here. She ended up inside Ginny's body. Ginny, however, is still present. Sakura and Ginny can talk to one another – but Ginny is trapped inside her own body and mind." Hermione explained.

Harry looked over at Ginny, his eyes slightly wide. "That is..." But Harry trailed off, not knowing how to continue what he was going to say. So instead, he shook his head and then looked back over at Hermione and Ron, some of the anger returning to his eyes.

"What is this place?" Harry asked Ron and Hermione.

"Headquarters of the Order of Phoenix." Sakura said at once.

Ron, who had been about to answer the question, scowled.

"Mind telling me what the Order of Phoenix-?"

"It's a secret society." Hermione said quickly. "Dumbledore's in charge, he founded it. It's the people who fought against You-Know-Who last time."

"Who's in it?" Harry questioned, shoving his hands into his pockets.

"Quite a few people-"

"We've met about twenty of them." Ron said. "But 'Mione and I think there are more."

Harry was now glaring at them.

"Well?" Harry demanded, looking from one to the other.

"Er," Ron said. "Well what?"

"Voldemort!" Harry said furiously, and both Hermione and Ron winced. Sakura, again, rolled her eyes. It was just a name. "What's happening? What's he up to? Where is he? What are we doing to stop him?"

Sakura narrowed her eyes at Harry, having to fight Ginny's strong feelings for Harry to be annoyed with him. "They already told you." Sakura spoke. "The Order doesn't let them into the meetings."

Harry twitched and Hermione hastily added, "We've got a general idea though."

"Fred and George have invented Extendable Ears, see." Ron said. "They're really useful."

"Extendable -?"

"Ears, yeah. Only we've had to stop using them lately because Mum found out and went berserk. Fred and George had to hide them all to stop Mum binning them. But we got a good bit of use out of them before Mum realised what was going on. We know some of the Order are following known Death Eaters, keeping tabs on them, you know ‐"

"Some of them are working on recruiting more people to the Order ‐" said Hermione.

"And some of them are standing guard over something," said Ron. "They're always talking about guard duty."

"Couldn't have been me, could it?" said Harry sarcastically.

"Oh, yeah," Ron said, with a look of dawning comprehension.

Harry snorted. He walked around the room again, looking anywhere but at Ron and Hermione and Sakura. "So, what have you two been doing, if you're not allowed in meetings?" he demanded. "You said you've been busy."

"For the love of... Could you stop being so rude." Sakura placed her hands on her hips, giving Harry a pointed look. "It's not their faults."

"You wouldn't know. I've been locked up at the Dursley's house, out of the blue." Harry gritted his teeth.

Sakura gestured to Ron and Hermione, "And they haven't been told anything either. So you're not alone."

"Well-"

"Would you just give it a rest."

As much as Harry didn't like it, he knew he was over-reacting. Gin – Sakura was right. Ron and Hermione knew just as much as he did.

"Anyways, we've been decontaminating this house, it's been empty for ages and stuff's breeding in here." Hermione quickly went on to explained, hoping to prevent any more yelling. "We've managed the kitchen, most of the bedrooms and I think we're going to do the drawing room tomo-"

With two loud cracks, Fred and George, Ron's elder twin brothers, had materialised out of thin air in the middle of the room.

"Stop doing that!" Hermione told the Twins weakly.

"Hello, Harry." George said, beaming at him. "We thought we heard your dulcet tones."

"You don't want to bottle up your anger like that, Harry, let it all out," said Fred, also beaming. "There might be a couple of people fifty miles away who didn't hear you."

"You two passed your Apparation tests, then?" asked Harry grumpily.

"With distinction," said Fred, who was holding what looked like a piece of very long, flesh-coloured string.

"It would have taken you about thirty seconds longer to walk down the stairs," Ron said.

"Time is Galleons, little brother," said Fred. "Anyway, Harry, you're interfering with reception. Extendable Ears," he added in response to Harry's raised eyebrows, and held up the string. "We're trying to hear what's going on downstairs."

Sakura cleared her throat and asked politely, "May I see that?"

"Of course." Fred said, handing the Extendable Ear to Sakura. Sakura quickly examined it, placing it in her memory, then handed it back.

"That is quite cool." Sakura complimented it. And it truly was.

"Why, thank you." George nodded his head, bowing.

Sakura laughed and moved over to the nearest bed and sat down.

Ron rolled his eyes. "You'll want to be careful with that." He warned. "If Mum sees it..."

"It's worth the risk, that's a major meeting they're having." Fred said.

'_**I doubt it will work. A little after Mum found out about the Extendable Ears, Tonks told me about the **_**Imperturbable Charm**_** and how Mum was thinking of using it. So Mum probably used the Charm on the kitchen door. They won't be able to get the Extendable Ears underneath the gap of the kitchen door.' **_Ginny said nonchalantly. _**'Well then, go on, tell them.' **_

"Ginny says it won't work." Sakura said bravely. All of them looked at her. "She told me that Tonks told her about the _Imperturbable Charm _after your Mum confiscated your Extendable Ears and how she was planning on using it. Your Mum probably cast it on the kitchen door to insure you couldn't listen in on the meetings anymore. Ginny says you won't even be able to get the Extendable Ears under the gap of the kitchen door."

"How do we know for sure?" Ron asked, not fully believing Sakura.

_**'You just chuck stuff at the door and if it can't make contact, the door's been Imperturbed.' **_Ginny informed Sakura.

"Ginny says that you just chuck stuff at the door and if it can't make contact, the door's been Imperturbed." Sakura repeated what Ginny told her.

Fred heaved a deep sigh.

"Shame. I fancied finding out what old Snape's been up to."

"Snape!" Harry said quickly. "Is he here?"

"Yeah." George said, carefully closing the door and sitting down on the bed beside Sakura; Fred followed, sitting down on the other side of Sakura. "Giving a report. Top secret."

"Git." Fred said idly.

'_**I agree.' **_Ginny huffed. And so did Sakura. Though she had only met Snape once, he had been rather... rude and grouchy.

"He's on our side now." Hermione said reprovingly.

Ron snorted. "Doesn't stop him from being a git. The way he looks at us when he sees us."

"Bill doesn't like him, either." George added.

Sakura could see that Harry's anger had not abated yet; but his thirst for information was now overcoming his urge to keep shouting. Sakura watched as Harry sunk down onto the bed opposite of the one she and the Twins were sitting on.

"Is Bill here?" Harry asked. "I thought he was working in Egypt?"

"He applied for a desk job so he could come home and work for the Order," said Fred. "He says he misses the tombs, but," he smirked, "there are compensations."

"What d'you mean?"

"Remember old Fleur Delacour?" said George."She's got a job at Gringotts to 'eemprove 'er Eeenglish ‐'"

'_**Ugh! I hate her!' **_Ginny seethed.

'_**Why?'**_

'_**She is humourless and irritating!'**_

Sakura couldn't help but smile. As much as Ginny could be irritating, she was funny too.

"And Bill's been giving her a lot of private lessons." Fred sniggered.

'_**Unfortunately.'**_

"Charlie's in the Order, too,' said George, "but he's still in Romania. Dumbledore wants as many foreign wizards brought in as possible, so Charlie's trying to make contacts on his days off."

"Couldn't Percy do that?" Harry asked. The last he had heard, the third Weasley brother was working in the Department of International Magical Cooperation at the Ministry of Magic.

At Harry's words, Sakura noticed, all the Weasleys and Hermione exchanged darkly significant looks.

"Whatever you do, don't mention Percy in front of Mum and Dad," Ron told Harry in a tense voice.

"Why not?"

"Because every time Percy's name is mentioned, Dad breaks whatever he's holding and Mum starts crying," Fred said.

"What's happened?" Harry asked.

"Percy and Dad had a row," Fred began explaining. "I've never seen Dad shout with anyone like that. It's normally Mum who shouts."

"It was the first week back after term ended," Ron carried on for Fred. "We were about to come and join the Order when Percy came home and told us he'd been promoted."

"You're kidding?" Harry said.

"Yeah, we were all surprised," George said. "Because Percy got into a load of trouble about Crouch, there was an inquiry and everything. They said Percy ought to have realised Crouch was off his rocker and informed a superior. But you know Percy, Crouch left him in charge, he wasn't going to complain."

Sakura joined in, "So how come they promoted him?"

"That's exactly what we wondered," Ron said, trying to ignore the fact that it was Sakura who had asked the questioned. And now that Harry had stopped yelling, Ron seemed very keen to keep a normal conversation going. "He came home really pleased with himself - even more pleased than usual, if you can imagine that - and told Dad he'd been offered a position in Fudge's own office. A really good one for someone only a year out of Hogwarts: Junior Assistant to the Minister. He expected Dad to be all impressed, I think."

"Only Dad wasn't," added Fred grimly.

"Why not?" Harry asked.

"Well, apparently Fudge has been storming round the Ministry checking that nobody's having any contact with Dumbledore," George said.

"Dumbledore's name is mud with the Ministry these days, see," said Fred."They all think he's just making trouble saying You-Know-Who's back."

"Dad says Fudge has made it clear that anyone who's in league with Dumbledore can clear out their desks," George explained. "Trouble is, Fudge suspects Dad, he knows he's friendly with Dumbledore, and he's always thought Dad's a bit of a weirdo because of his Muggle obsession."

"But what's that got to do with Percy?" asked Harry, confused.

"I'm coming to that. Dad reckons Fudge only wants Percy in his office because he wants to use him to spy on the family ‐ and Dumbledore."

Harry let out a low whistle. "Bet Percy loved that."

Ron laughed in a hollow sort of way.

"He went completely berserk. He said - well, he said loads of terrible stuff. He said he's been having to struggle against Dad's lousy reputation ever since he joined the Ministry and that Dad's got no ambition and that's why we've always – you know – not had a lot of money, I mean ‐"

"What?" Harry said in disbelief.

Sakura gritted her teeth.

"I know," Ron said in a low voice. "And it got worse. He said Dad was an idiot to run around with Dumbledore, that Dumbledore was heading for big trouble and Dad was going to go down with him, and that he ‐ Percy ‐ knew where his loyalty lay and it was with the Ministry. And if Mum and Dad were going to become traitors to the Ministry, he was going to make sure everyone knew he didn't belong to our family any more. And he packed his bags, the same night, and left. He's living here in London now."

Sakura shook her head. Family was more important. Without a doubt.

"Mum's been in a right state," Ron said dully. "You know‐crying and stuff. She came up to London to try and talk to Percy but he slammed the door in her face. I dunno what he does if he meets Dad at work. Ignores him, I s'pose."

"But Percy must know that Voldemort's back," said Harry slowly. "He's not stupid; he must know your mum and dad wouldn't risk everything without proof."

"Well, you see... Um, your name got dragged into the row." Ron went on. "Percy said the only evidence was your word and... I dunno... he didn't think it was good enough."

Sakura sighed, causing them to look at her. She hadn't made a single noise since the conversation had started.

"I know I don't know, Percy... But he's right." Sakura told them, gesturing to Harry. "Sure you all know Harry wouldn't lie and that he is telling the truth, but his word isn't enough to go on. Even if he is the Boy-Who-Lived,"

Ron glared at Sakura – he seemed to be the only one who was still angry with Sakura.

Hermione shook her head. "It's not that. It's the fact that Percy takes the Daily Prophet very seriously."

The others nodded in agreement.

"I've read it multiple times. It's terrible." Sakura said in disgust; she knew what Hermione was talking about. Ginny had urged Sakura to read the Daily Prophet, even if it was bad. So Sakura had done that. She'd read through the Daily Prophet, starting with the ones from the beginning of the summer – Sakura had easily caught up to the latest edition.

"What are you talking about?" Harry asked, looking around at them all.

"Haven't – haven't you been getting the Daily Prophet?" Hermione asked nervously.

"Yeah, I have!" Harry said.

"Have you – er – been reading it thoroughly?" Hermione asked, still more anxiously.

"Not cover to cover." Harry said; his tone defensive. "If they were going to report anything about Voldemort it would be headline news, wouldn't it?"

The others flinched at the sound of the name, aside from Sakura. Hermione hurried on, "Well, you'd need to read it cover to cover to pick it up, but they ‐ um ‐ they mention you a couple of times a week."

"But I'd have seen-"

"Oh my Kami!" Sakura exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air. "They slip you in and make you sound like a Baka. They are making a standing joke out of you, Potter."

"What d'you -?"

"It's quite nasty, actually." Hermione cut in. "They're just building on Rita's stuff."

"But she's not writing for them anymore, is she?"

"Oh, no, she's kept her promise ‐ not that she's got any choice," Hermione added with satisfaction. "But she laid the foundation for what they're trying to do now."

Sakura wondered what promise they were talking about.

"Which is what?" Harry said, rather impatiently.

"OK, you know she wrote that you were collapsing all over the place and saying your scar was hurting and all that?"

"Yeah," Harry said. He was not likely to forget Rita Skeeters stories about him in a hurry.

"Well, they're writing about you as though you're this deluded, attention-seeking person who thinks he's a great tragic hero or something," Hermione said, speaking very fast, as though it would be less unpleasant for Harry to hear these facts quickly. "They keep slipping in snide comments about you. If some far-fetched story appears, they say something like, 'A tale worthy of Harry Potter', and if anyone has a funny accident or anything it's, 'Let's hope he hasn't got a scar on his forehead or we'll be asked to worship him next' ‐"

"I don't want anyone to worship ‐" Harry began hotly.

"I know you don't," Hermione went on quickly, looking frightened. "I know, Harry. But you see what they're doing? They want to turn you into someone nobody will believe. Fudge is behind it, I'll bet anything. They want wizards on the street to think you're just some stupid boy who's a bit of a joke, who tells ridiculous tall stories because he loves being famous and wants to keep it going."

"I didn't ask ‐ I didn't want ‐ Voldemort killed my parents!" Harry spluttered. "I got famous because he murdered my family but couldn't kill me! Who wants to be famous for that? Don't they think I'd rather it'd never ‐"

"That's sick." Sakura sneered. "Belittling someone, using their parent's death and pain, and they do it subtly, so it won't look bad unlike a direct attack."

Hermione nodded her head in agreement. "And of course, they didn't report a word about the Dementors attacking you," Hermione said. "Someone's told them to keep that quiet. That should've been a really big story: out-of-control Dementors. They haven't even reported that you broke the International Statute of Secrecy. We thought they would, it would tie in so well with this image of you as some stupid show-off. We think they're biding their time until you're expelled, then they're really going to go to town - I mean, if you're expelled, obviously," she went on hastily, not wanting to give Harry a chance to blow. "You really shouldn't be, not if they abide by their own laws, there's no case against you."

"These rules are stupid." Sakura put in. "You should be allowed to defend yourself in a dire situation."

Sakura could see Harry shift. It was obvious he didn't want to talk about it.

The sound of footsteps coming up the stairs reached everyone's ears.

"Uh oh,"

Fred yanked the Extendable Ear and shoved it into his pocket; there was a loud crack and he and George vanished. Merely seconds later, the door opened and standing there was Molly.

"The meetings over, you can come down and have dinner now. Everyone's dying to see you, Harry." Molly turned to Sakura. "And Ginny-" Molly stopped, then went on. "Well now, come along, I'm sure you're all hungry."

Molly bustled out of the room, motioning for everyone to follow.

Sakura shifted and stood up, biting her lip, and walked out of the room, not looking back. She felt guilty. Sakura knew she shouldn't – none of this was her fault, but she couldn't help it.

As she walked down the hallway, towards the stairs, Sakura looked over her shoulder to see the others coming along. At the back of the group were Harry, Ron and Hermione. They were talking to one another.

Sakura stopped at the staircase. She was about to descend the steps but stopped, as she could still hear light talking coming from the hallway downstairs. Curiously, Sakura looked over the banister. The gloomy hallway below was packed with witches and wizards, some Sakura had seen, others she hadn't. They were whispering excitedly together. In the very centre of the group Sakura spotted the dark, greasy-haired head and prominent-nosed man. Severus Snape.

Severus looked up at them. His eyes momentarily locked with Sakura's before moving over to the person beside her, who was Harry. Severus' eyes narrowed at the sight of Harry and he scowled, looking away.

A thin piece of flesh-coloured string descended in front of Sakura's eyes. Looking up, she saw Fred and George on the landing above, cautiously lowering the Extendable Ear towards the dark knot of people below. A moment later, however, they all began to move towards the front door and out of sight.

"Dammit," Sakura heard Fred mutter, as he hoisted the Extendable Ear back up.

They heard the front door open, then close.

"Snape never eats here." Sakura heard Ron tell Harry quietly.

'_**Thank God.' **_Ginny muttered.

"Don't forget to keep your voices down in the hallway." Hermione reminded everyone as they descend the staircase and reached the hallway.

Sakura saw Remus, Molly and Tonks at the front door, magically sealing its many locks and bolts behind those who had just left.

"We're eating down in the kitchen." Molly whispered, walking over to meet them. She was talking mostly to Harry. "Harry, dear, if you'll just tiptoe across the hall, it's through this door here-"

CRASH!

Sakura stiffened and her head snapped up towards the source of the noise. It had been Tonks. She had tripped over an umbrella stand.

"Tonks!" Molly cried in exasperation.

"I'm sorry!" Tonks wailed. She was lying flat on the floor. "It's that stupid umbrella stand, that's the second time I've tripped over-"

But the rest of her words were drowned out by a horrible, ear-splitting, blood-curling screech.

Sakura's hands instinctively went to cover her ears. If this had ever happened before, she couldn't believe she didn't hear it. It was positively irritating.

Sakura's eyes were drawn towards the moth-eaten, velvet curtains. They were drawn apart, revealing a portrait of an old woman in a black cap, screaming, as if she was being tortured.

The old woman was drooling, her eyes were rolling, the yellowing skin of her face stretched taut as she screamed; and all along the hall behind them, the other portraits – which Sakura found unusual that they could talk – awoke and began to yell, too. The noise was so much. It was overwhelming. Sakura gritted her teeth. Why couldn't that old hag shut up?

Remus and Molly rushed forward and tried to tug the curtains shut over the old woman, but they would not close and she screeched louder than ever, brandishing clawed hands as though trying to tear at their faces.

"Filth! Scum! By-products of dirt and vileness! Half-breeds, mutants, freaks, begone from this place! How dare you befoul the house of my father's -"

"Shut up!" Sakura was attempting to scream over her horrible screeching.

Tonks was continuing to apologise over and over again, dragging the huge, heavy umbrella stand, which resembled a troll's leg, off the floor; Molly had abandoned her attempt at closing the curtains and hurried up and down the hall, shooting red burst of light – Sakura wondered what that was – at all of the other portraits, silencing them.

Sirius – Sakura recognized – came charging out of a door and towards the portrait.

"Shut up, you horrible old hag, shut UP!" Sirius roared, seizing the curtain Molly had abandoned.

The old woman's face blanched.

"Yoooou!" She howled, her eyes popping at the sight of Sirius. "Blood traitor, abomination, shame of my flesh!"

Sakura winced.

"I said – shut – UP!" Sirius roared, and with a stupendous effort, he and Remus managed to force the curtains closed, much to Sakura's relief.

The old woman's screeches died and an echoing silence fell. Panting slightly and sweeping his long dark hair out of his eyes, Sirius turned around to face Harry.

"Hello, Harry." Sirius said grimly. "I see you've met my mother."

**O~O~O**

**Yeah! Another chapter down! The chapters will be a little longer, but only because I will be following the books, but changing it for Sakura. HEHE!**

**Please review!**


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